Crimson Hunter
by Konsaki
Summary: Ranma 'awakens' to find herself a child once more; her memories fragmented, at best. As she grows older, so too does she regain what was once lost to her, in this new world of Adventure, Pirates and Marines. One thing's for sure; she's not going to let a little thing like death and reincarnation keep her from being the best martial artist in the world!


Crimson Hunter

A Ranma 1/2 and One Piece FanFiction

Written by: Konsaki

Pre-readers: Lawra & Frice

"Ow! My head!" The young redheaded girl cried out, jerking up to a seated position, both of her hands grasping the sides of it. She stayed like that while lightly rocking back and forth, her eyes clenched shut to block out the world as her head throbbed with the beating of her slowly calming heart. After a few minutes of breathing, the pain eased away to a dull throbbing deep in the core of her brain, still noticeable but manageable enough to risk opening her eyes to the world once more.

Blinking her bright blue eyes to take in the pale moonglow, Ranma looked down at her bed… Wait, she didn't have a bed… But, she always had for as long as she could remember. Why would she sleep on a futon instead… What was a futon, anyways? A mattress you sleep on the floor. That's silly, no it's… "Ow!"

Thoughts cleared Ranma's head once more as the pain flared again, though it cleared away slightly faster than before. She tried to think of… what she was thinking before but… couldn't remember exactly.

Cracking open an eyelid to peer out into the darkness again, she slowly gained confidence as the pain stayed that annoying dull throb it was before when… Turning her head, she looked over to the open window to her room, the soft sounds of the ocean's rolling waves wafting in with the night air. Something about the rhythmic sounds of the waves never seemed to fail at calming her. Yeah, she'd always enjoyed being by the sea, especially camping on the beach with her… her…

Her tiny hands massaged her scalp as the pain slowly built, making her give up on the thought as her eyes teared up. "My head hurts." She whined out, disturbing the calm night quiet once more. Something was wrong but every time she tried to think about it, the hurting got worse and worse.

'Mama will help.' Ranma finally decided, crawling over to the edge of the bed and carefully climbing down, trying not to fall. "Cold!" She whimpered, fumbling with getting the slippers on her feet while dancing on the cool wood floor of her bedroom. Feet finally safe, the redhead shuffled towards the door, wrapping her pale green pinwheel pajama clad arms around herself form warmth against the chill of the night.

Reaching the door, she reached up and pulled on the handle to open it. Some byplay in the back of her mind happened, about why the door was so large but she'd always had to reach way up to the handle; the dull ache rolling forward again. One thought kept her moving down the barely lit hallway, 'Mama.'

She didn't even have to reach up to this handle, her mama's door was already slightly ajar, letting Ranma push it open with just a little effort. 'I've gotten weaker, no I'm not. I'm smaller, no I'm a big girl now.' The pain flared once more. "Ow! Mama! Mama!"

The figure in the large bed rolled about, a slim arm reaching out to swipe at before finally pulling on the lamp's chain. A slight click and the room beheld a half asleep woman sitting up in the bed, her long black hair flared around her shoulders as she blinked her bleary azure eyes. "Baby? What's wrong?" She asked, seeing the young girl holding her head, halfway between the doorway and her bed.

"Mama, my head hurts!" Ranma exclaimed, the dam breaking as the girl broke down into tears.

Throwing the sheets, the mother quickly but calmly enveloped the girl in a comforting hug, softly saying, "Oh, baby… I'm so sorry you head hurts. Come on, Mama'll make it better…" Feeling and hearing the comfort only a mother can provide, the child threw her arms around her mother's neck and cried into her shoulder.

Makino sighed softly, both due to her child's pain and the fact that this wasn't the first time her daughter had woken her up in the middle of the night. Adjusting her arms, the black haired woman gently hefted her child up and settled the back both into the bed she had just vacated, pulling the covers over them both.

Turning off the bedside lamp, mother and child lay there in the darkness, Ranma continuing to softly cry in her mother's comforting embrace. Letting out a deep breath, Makino softly stroked her Ranma's long red hair and started wordlessly singing an old sailor's lullaby. It was one that her mother had sung for her when she was a child, and one Ranma had always fallen asleep to as well. Even as she sung softly, Makino couldn't help but think, 'This is going to be one of those nights...'

oO0Oo

The slight creaking of the main door to Party's Bar caught Makino's attention, her deep blue eyes flicking up from where she was wiping down the bar. Seeing the grey haired man step into her tavern, her lips quirked upward into a slight smile. "Good afternoon, Mayor. How can I help you?"

"Good day to you as well." The aging man responded with a wave, his other hand holding the cane he needed for his bum knee. As the yellow flowery shirt wearing man settled down at the nearest table to the bar, he watched the young woman as she brought out a glass mug of amber beer. Woop Slap nodded his thanks, accepting the mug to take a small drink; wiping some errant foam off his greyed beard with his shirt sleeve. "Actually, I'm here to see what's on your mind."

"What do you mean?"

Tapping the mug on the wooden table with a dull thud, Woop grunted. Foosha Village was a small coastal village land landlocked from the rest of Dawn Island's Goa Kingdom by a band of mountains, leading to community where you'd have to be trying to live under a rock to not notice things. "Come now, Makino. Something's been bothering you these past couple of weeks. You know how the gossip flows around here, but we've tried to give you space to work it out. I'm just reminding you that we're always around to help out... You understand, right?"

"I know, it's just…" The woman sighed wearily while sliding into a seat across the table from the man in the red and white horizontally striped floppy hat. Glancing up, as if to look through the ceiling towards the room where her daughter was upstairs napping, she admitted, "She just turned six a few weeks ago and… and it's like I can't keep up with her anymore. It's just… What happened to my little baby?"

Hearing the Foosha village mayor chuckle in mild amusement drew Makino's attention once more. "That's the thing about children, they always grow up so quickly." He said with a grin before taking another drink of his beer. "You aren't the first parent to feel this way; believe me, I know. Two boys and a girl… and it never failed to surprise us. One day you're changing diapers, the next…" He took another small sip, turning his head towards the ocean, "The next, they're moving on to making their own family."

"I guess…" Makino sighed, looking down at her clasped hands on the table before her. She looked up once more when she felt Woop Slap lean over and pat her on the arm comfortingly.

"Don't worry, dear. Just enjoy your time with her while you can. Like I said, it goes by so quickly and you wonder where the time went." Seeing the woman crack a small smile and nod, he smiled back, taking another sip. "So, then. What's the little scamp been up to anyways that's got you so fussed up?"

"Well…" the woman started as she stood, smoothing out her orange dress before heading back to the bar. "The headaches she kept complaining about were worrisome. I can understand just having them, but for three days…"

"I heard from Doc Brown..." Woop said with a nod. "He didn't find anything wrong though, right?"

Makino bobbed her head in agreement, "He just prescribed some sleep and pain killers, and they finally went away on their own." She smiled as she finished pouring herself a mug of amber fluid before moving back to the table. "I was so relieved to see her up and about again." She snorted a quick laugh. "And boy did she save up energy."

Woop let out a barking laugh as well. "You've got that right! She's been running around the village non stop this past week! Haven't heard her getting in any trouble, though."

"There's that, thankfully." Makino agreed with a salute of her beer, followed by taking a drink.

After a few moments of silence passed between the two adults, the village mayor raise an eyebrow. He'd known the Ohmoto family since Makino's parents had settled down in Foosha village almost thirty years past. Having watched the young mother before him grow from a child herself, he couldn't help but notice the signs. "There's something else, isn't there?"

After a pointent pause, the young woman sighed. "She's started asking me questions… about her father."

Woop let out a low thoughtful hum at that, choosing to drink his beer instead of immediately saying anything. As far as he knew, only Makino and himself knew the full identity of young Ranma's father. With the close knit community the village had, though, almost everyone knew the child's father was an errant sailor who had passed through. Not that they held anything against mother or child but gossip always had a way of guessing at the truth…

"I see…" He finally said, setting down his mug and taking off his hat to scratch at his grey hair. "And you told her?"

Makino just shook her head. "I just told her what everyone else knows; that he's a sailor on a long voyage and I don't know when he's coming back."

The elder just nodded in agreement. "Probably for the best." Sighing, he put his hat back on while looking towards the door to the tavern. "Let's just hope he doesn't bring trouble with him, if or when he come back…"

oO0Oo

"Ow! Dammit!" Makino cursed under her breath, rubbing her now sore toes to ease the pain. Looking down, she cast a baleful glare over the small stack of stone training weights just outside the back door to the tavern. Looking up to find her daughter still in the small open area behind the building, she called out, "Ohmoto Ranma, get over here this instant!"

The combination of her full name use and angry mother voice caused the girl to immediately cease all her dance-like motions. Running up to woman who had crossed her arms across her chest and was giving her a stern look, the seven year old girl answered, "Yes, Mama?"

"Young lady, what did I tell you when I got them for your birthday a month ago?" The black haired woman inquired, pointing down at the pile of weights she'd just stubbed a toe against.

"Don't throw them."

"And?"

"Pick them up after I'm done?"

"And?" Makino asked a second time, more annoyance creeping into her voice.

Shrinking down slightly, knowing exactly why her mother was angry, the long haired redheaded girl meekly answered, "Don't put them where someone might trip?"

"That's right, don't put them where someone can trip over them." Makino repeated, tapping the ground with a foot. "So why are they in front of the door where I almost fell over them?"

"Because I forgot…"

Seeing her daughter sufficiently cowed, Makino just rubbed the side of her head, over the bandana keeping her hair back, in exasperation. "Have you learned your lesson?" Seeing her daughter jerkily nod, she sighed with a small smile. "Alright, put them away and go get cleaned up; dinner is almost done."

"Alright, Mama!" Ranma cried out, spirits lifting quickly at the thoughts of dinner after a workout.

Makino stepped to the side, allowing her daughter to pick up the hand weights and run inside. "Honestly, what am I going to do with that girl?" The amusement was easy to hear in her voice as she looked back out to the dusty empty area her daughter had just been dancing in. Scrunching her brow, she revised her last thought, 'Not dancing… shadow fighting.'

Making her way back to the tavern's grill, she pondered that thought. For the past few months, she'd known her daughter was working out quite a bit; running all over the village, now starting to lug a small backpack with her on the runs, and working out with those weights. While Makino had seen Ranma dancing around before, and even play fighting a couple times, she never thought about where she was learning it.

'I guess that's something I'll just have to ask.' The raven haired woman thought to herself, placing a couple fish fillets on the stovetop. Glancing over to the side of the bar where she kept her daily use stock of alcohol, she took a quick mental count and compared it to what she knew was in the cellar. "Hmm… might need to head to Edge Town in a couple days to restock." She mused to herself, flipping the sizzling fish and then checking on the rice.

The minutes passed in comfortable silence, only Mikano's humming and cooking food filling the tavern. Eventually, she heard the sounds of her daughter shooting down the stairs, causing her to call out, "No running on the stairs!"

"Yes, Mama." Ranma called back, adjusting her pace for the last few steps. Coming out from the storage rooms behind the bar where the stairs were, Ranma inhaled the aroma of cooking food, "Smells good!"

Makino smiled at that, knowing the seven year old liked the smell of anything she cooked. "Well, it's almost done, so go set a table, okay?"

"Alright!"

The mother felt pleased that she could trust her child to perform the task, Ranma long having gained the coordination to not drop anything. Those were some annoying and sometimes costly formative skills for her daughter to learn. Smiling the entire time, Makino finished putting the now cooked fish, rice and some pickled radish on two plates and set them up on the bartop. "Order up; table one!"

"Got it!" Ranma called back, smiling at playing waitress, though the large green t-shirt and brown shorts sort of ruined the scene a little.

Walking over with a couple glasses of water, she asked, "Why don't you wear any of the dresses I bought you?"

"I do, Mama!" Ranma countered with a wide shake of her head, sending her crimson ponytail flailing. "I just like this better!"

Makino just rolled her eyes with a small grin at the response. Her daughter did, in fact, sometimes wear her dresses when helping in the bar or for special occasions, but did prefer the clothes like she was currently wearing. "You're such a little tomboy." She stated in a teasing tone, a warm smile on her lips.

"Uh huh." The girl replied distractedly, cutting up a piece of the fish to place in her mouth. "Mmm! Good!"

The mother just rolled her eyes with a smile again, used to her daughter's quirks. Things rarely came between her and food when she was hungry. Partaking of her own plate of food, the two person family ate in comfortable silence for a bit. Eventually, once her daughter had eaten her fill, Makino asked her, "So, what were you up to in the back yard?"

"Martial arts!" Ranma happily chirped back.

"Oh? And why were you doing 'martial arts'?" Makino continued her questioning, quite interested in her daughter's response.

"Cause it's fun. Cause it makes me feel good. Cause I'm going to be the bestest there ever is!" The redhead counted off on her fingers, getting louder and more energetic as she ticked them off.

The raven haired woman continued to warmly smile, pleased with her daughter finding something fun and healthy to do in her free time. She was still a bit curious where she learned it though, so she asked her child this.

"A nice man in white gave me a book!"

Makino blinked in surprise and suspicion at that answer. "A man in white? Book? Where were you when he gave you this?"

"Umm…" Ranma thought out loud, putting a finger to her lips. "I think the docks?" A second later she nodded in confirmation, "Yeah, at the docks! This big ship came in, in white and blue! I was watching the white and blue men all fighting each other but no one got hurt. I wanted to fight too, so I pretended I was like them on the dock. Then the big old man in white started talking to me. When I said I wanted to fight too, he did this big 'Bwahahah' laugh." The girl motored on, giving as deep and loud imitation of the laugh as she could.

Makino couldn't help but laugh a little at her daughter's imitation antics of a grown man laughing. "And then that's when he gave you this book on martial arts?"

"Uh huh!" Her daughter replied with a big nod, causing her ponytail to bob. "He yelled out at one of the fighting men and he ran over with it. Then the big man in white gave me it!"

"Did this 'Big old man in white' have a name?" Makino curiously asked, wondering exactly who this was.

"Uhh…" Ranma thought out loud again, only this time it took quite a bit longer, the strain showing on the seven year old's face. Eventually, she sadly gave up with a shake of her head, "I don't remember…"

"It's okay, honey." The mother reassured her daughter with a light pat on the arm, before requesting, "Can you go get this book while I clean the table?"

"Alright, Mama!" The girl happily nodded, mood quickly re-energizing as she ran towards the back room and upstairs.

"And no running on the stairs, young lady!"

"Yes, Mama!"

Makino barely had enough time to place the last dish into the sink when her daughter ran back up to her, carefully walking down the stairs to spare her her mother's ire. "Here it is, Mama!" The child called out, excitedly holding the book out for her mother's inspection.

Gently taking the large book from her daughters grasp, Makino blinked at the cover text. "Marine Basic Hand-to-Hand Training..." she mused out loud, flipping open the cover to read the first page. Quickly glancing through the text, she had to agree that it looked like a legitimate Marine book and, as she flipped through the pages, the bar owner could see text, diagrams and illustrations covering basic hand-to-hand combat lessons.

Closing the training manual, Makino let out a hum, deciding on if this really was a good thing for her daughter or not. Considering what the girl usually got into, it didn't seem that bad and most likely was a good thing. Still, there was one final question to ask the girl. Pointing out a symbol on the cover, Makino asked her waiting daughter, "Was this symbol on the white and blue boat?"

Ranma stared at the blue thin double arch over the letters 'MARINE'. After only a moment's hesitation, she nodded quickly, "Yeah! It was, Mama! On the big sail! I remember now!"

Makino let out a small sigh of relief, handing the large book back to her waiting daughter. "Alright, then. Just don't hurt yourself or anyone else, alright? You need to be careful with this."

"Yes, Mama! I'll be careful!" Ranma replied energetically with a bright smile, clutching the book to her body tightly.

"Alright, then." The mother smiled back with a nod before waving her daughter towards the back room. "Now, go put that book back up in your room and then come help me with the dishes."

"Aww, but Mama, I was gonna…" Ranma started up only to be cut off quickly by her mother.

"Don't 'Aww, Mama' me, young lady. Whatever it is can wait until we finish the dishes, understood?"

"Yes, Mama." The redhead answered, slightly dejected at her plans being sidetracked.

"Good, now hurry up and put that away."

"Yes, Mama." The daughter lowly answered, turning away to run back upstairs and put the book away.

"And no running on the stairs!"

oO0Oo

It was a warm, muggy afternoon that found the black haired woman humming a jaunty sailing tune as she mopped the floor of her tavern. Considering the warmth of the day, she decided to follow her daughter's style and wore a loose baby blue blouse and tan shorts, enjoying the slight breeze which made it's way through the open windows and door. Using a rag tucked into her pocket, she dabbed at her brow, thankful she had used a yellow kerchief to tie her hair out of her face.

About the time that she was halfway through with the main dining area, there was a knock at the door which gained her attention. Seeing the mayor standing in the open doorway, she smiled and waved him in. "Good afternoon, Mayor! What brings you by today?"

"Good day to you as well, Makino." Looking around the room, noticing the mop still in the woman's hands, he asked, "Is there a place we can sit down? I'm afraid there's some things we need to discuss."

Scrunching her brow slightly at that statement, Makino leaned the mop against a nearby chair while indicating a table in an area she hadn't gotten to yet. "That table's fine, if you like. I have to ask though, is something wrong?"

Stepping inside the tavern door, Woop Slap coughed into a closed fist, not moving towards the indicated table yet. "Not 'wrong', per say, but a little… complicated. First, let me introduce you to my guests…"

At hearing that, Makino's eyes flickered back to the open doorway, this time filled with a fedora wearing man in a matching grey suit, a katana strapped to his left hip. Before the man was a tiny boy of around four or five years of age, if Makino guessed correctly. The boy was wearing a cute little marine t-shirt and blue shorts.

Coughing once more into his hand, the floral shirt wearing mayor indicated the large man beside him. "Makino, this is Mr. Bogart and the young boy's name is Luffy."

"I see…" The young mother hesitantly replied. "Please, have a seat. Would you like anything to drink?"

"Water and some juice for the boy." Mr Bogart curtly answered with a nod, his baritone voice clear but short.

"The usual pint for me, if you would." Woop Slap put in his own request, gesturing to his two companions to follow him to the previously indicated table.

It took a minute for everyone to have everyone seated at the table, drinks in front of them. Mr Bogart had removed his fedora and placed it on a nearby table, revealing a rather handsome face but Makino noticed that his mouth was in a near perpetual neutral line. Between him and her, Luffy was carefully sipping his juice happily.

"So, I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that this has something to do with Luffy here." Makino broke the ice, indicating the boy with a nod of her head.

"You'd be correct, Ma'am." Bokart answered with a short nod, still having not touched the glass of water placed before him, arms loosely crossed over his chest.

"His grandfather can't take care of him, due to his occupation, you see." Woop added in when it seemed the suited man wasn't going to elaborate. "I've been talking with the boy's grandfather for about a little over a month now about this situation. It seems both his parents are unreachable and as such, he wanted to find a good foster home for his grandson."

"Alright, I guess." Makino said hesistantly, finally seeing where this might be going. Glancing towards the boy seated next to her, she inquired curiously, "I have to ask, though, who's the grandfather?"

A moment passed where Bogart made no move to answer, so Woop once more picked up the slack with a shake of his head and a sigh. "Due to the nature of his occupation, it needs to remain as secret as possible for the boy's safety. To be blunt, I put your name up as a safe place for the young Luffy and if you accept, we'll tell you his full name and that of his grandfather."

"If you do accept, you will be paid a monthly stipend to offset the costs of raising another child Ms. Ohmoto." Bogart chipped in, slightly surprising the woman. "The requirements for this agreement to succeed are; three meals a day, medical attention and replaced clothing when required and a full room to himself in your establishment. Basic bedroom furnishings will be provided for this."

Makino blinked at the relatively straightforward and methodical sales pitch the grey suited man gave. After she stayed silent for a few moments, Woop added his own explanation. "I'm sorry to ask this of you but I know you have a spare room and he's around Ranma's age so they should get along." Taking a sip of his beer, he nodded towards the boy. "And believe me when I say this, caring for two children isn't that much more difficult than one."

Thinking it over for a few more moments, the woman sighed and shook her head. The mayor wouldn't have suggested her for this task unless he really thought it was both important and that she could handle it. "If it's that important, I guess I'll have to explain everything to Ranma to make sure she knows what happening. Though, I think I'll have my work cut out for me, trying to keep an eye on two kids now."

"Thank you, Makino, and I know you're up to it." The village mayor stated with a warm smile and a nod. "The boy's in good hands and his grandfather will greatly appreciate it."

"Speaking of his grandfather, who is he?" Makino asked, interest showing in her voice as she leaned forward.

"Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp." Mr. Bogart stated flatly, reaching into his coat to pull out a stuffed envelope and placed it on the table. "As per our agreement, this is the stipend for the first month. The rest will arrive via monthly mail."

"Vice Admiral Garp!?" Makino parroted in shock, realising immediately the significance of the name. "The 'Hero of the Marines' trusting me to take care of his grandson!? Oh my…"

"Don't worry too much about it. Just make sure not to spread it about; remember that it's secret for a reason." Woop reassured and warned the woman in the same breath.

Nodding slightly, the black haired woman looked towards the young boy, who was just finishing up his mug of juice and was now looking back at her. "You're going to be staying here with me and my daughter, Luffy. How do you feel about that?"

Still holding the mug with both hands, Luffy looked at his new foster mother with wide eyes. Sitting silent for a moment, he finally said, "I'm hungry!"

That got a quick laugh out of two of the three adults, Bogart sitting stoically as if the boy had said nothing at all. A few moments after, however, he reached back to grab his fedora and place it back atop his head; shadows once more enveloping his eyes from the outside world. "With our buisness concluded, I must be off to report back to the Vice Admiral." He soundly stated, raising up from his chair, leaving the still untouched water on the table.

Woop just nodded, waving off the business only attitude the plain clothed marine had. "Have a safe journey and give Garp my regards." All he got back was a silent nod, as Bogart silently bid farewell to the village mayor and the tavern owner. Standing up himself, Mayor Woop told Makino, "I'll head back to coordinate the delivery of the furniture right now, if that's okay with you."

Nodding slightly, Makino let out a sigh while glancing towards the small black haired boy, who had been shifting his gaze between the adults over the course of the conversation. "Thanks… I hope I can handle what I'm getting into."

"You'll do fine." The aging mayor stated with confidence with knowing smile. "Just let me know if you need any help, anytime." With that, the mayor left, his cane tapping on the hardwood floors as he made his exit.

Looking down to the boy who was watching her with attentive brown eyes, Makino shifted in her seat to turn her body towards him. "Hello, Luffy. I'm Makino." She formally greeted the boy with a smile.

The boy with the shaggy black mop top just blinked at her and cocked his head. "Are you my new Mommy?"

It was as if the thought of that being true truly hit her at that moment, causing her to let out a small laugh. "Yes, Luffy, I guess I am." Smiling, she added, "And you have an older sister now too. Her name's Ranma and I know you two are going to be great friends!" Privately, she dearly hoped that was so as she worried her lip some.

Hearing the boy's stomach grumbling, Makino couldn't help but laugh merrily as she stood up and headed behind the bar. "How about I make you a sandwich? Does that sound good to you, Luffy?"

The offer of food had the boy's eyes dancing in anticipation, as he cried out, "Yay! Sandwich!"

So far, to the now mother of two, the boy seemed pretty simple and easy to please, which might make things rather easy. Now she just wondered what complaints, if any, her daughter might have with this new change in the family.

It was much to Makino's relief that after an explanation to her daughter of the situation, albit a rather long one, that Ranma didn't seem to have any problems with her new little brother. Even so, the two children seemed a little distanced somewhat, each not exactly sure as to what to do with their new sibling.

Makino knew the two children needed just one thing, something to break the ice between them and get the new siblings to open up to one another. The problem was, the young mother was at a complete loss as to what that something might be...

oO0Oo

It was a bright clear warm morning the next day; a rooster crowing off at one of the nearby farms just outside town. Shops were just starting to open, with people greeting each other on the streets as they made their way to work for the day.

"Mama! I'm gonna go running!" Ranma called out. The girl was dressed in a bright orange t-shirt with a white whale on it and a pair of tan shorts, one of the outfits she used for these workout sessions.

Something just clicked in Makino's head as she immediately looked up from washing the dishes towards the boy just swinging his legs while sitting at the table where they'd all just eaten breakfast. Turning her attention over to her daughter, she suggested, "Why don't you take Luffy with you? Show him around town while you're at it."

"But, Mama… He's going to slow me down!" Ranma complained, talking with her arms to add emphasis.

Luffy seemed to take exception to what his new big sister was saying about him, hopping out of his chair and running up to her. "I'm not slow! I run fast!" He tried to stand tall, but his age worked against him, his comparatively tiny arms and legs poking out from a bright blue Marine shirt and shorts.

"Nu'uh! You're tiny! No way you can keep up with me!" The redheaded girl smugly countered, crossing her arms over her chest.

Makino just sighed, wondering if this might be an everyday occurrence now that she had two children. "No fighting, you two!" She called out, gaining both of their attentions. "Ranma, how do you know Luffy will slow you down?"

Put under her mother's spotlight, the girl fidgeted some. "Well, he's smaller and younger and… He's just slower than me."

"Have you seen him run before?" Makino pointedly asked, raising a brow.

Ranma hesitated before slowly answering, "No…"

"Then how do you know he's slow?" The raven haired woman asked again before continuing to dictate to her daughter. "Just take him with you this one time, you might be surprised at how fast he might be. Just remember to have fun but don't leave him alone anywhere. Okay, honey?"

"Yes, Mama." The girl acquiesced with a nod. Looking to the younger boy next to her, Ranma stated before running to the front door of the tavern, "Come on, try to keep up!"

"Hey, wait for me!" Luffy yelled out, trying to catch up to the fleeing sibling.

Seeing them both exit the tavern, Makino just propped her head on the bar using an arm. "Please, let this be what they need..." She wished out into the empty room with a sigh.

Outside the morning sunlight beamed down on the pair of children running down the street. The redhead was in a solid lead between the two of them, but the boy was keeping up just a meter or so behind. Glancing behind her, Ranma was actually surprised by this fact, slowly picking up the pace every now and then to see just how fast her new brother could run.

Little by little, the two children ran faster and faster; going down the main street to the docks and turning out to run along the coast road before turning back in towards the farmland. Eventually, it hit a point where either Luffy's short legs just couldn't keep up with the elder girl, no matter how hard he pushed, and he started to fall behind.

"Wait for me!" He yelled out, seeing the gap growing further and further between the two.

Glancing over her shoulder, causing her long braided hair to whip around, Ranma started to slow down till she came to a stop, a nice sheen of sweat covering her body and breathing slow but deeply. Luffy came to a stop next to her a second later, his breathing much more rapid with sweat dripping off his arms.

All in all she found herself surprised at how long Luffy had kept up with her. Of course, she could still go further and faster herself, but she was impressed by the black haired boy. "Good job, Runt." Ranma congratulated the younger child, mussing up his hair. The redhead quickly regretted it, wiping the now sweaty hand on her shorts.

"I told you I was fast!" Luffy exclaimed as he quickly caught his breath. He sent the girl a glare as he added, "And I'm not a runt!"

"You are too." Ranma taunted back with a smirk, leaning over to poke him on the forehead with her index finger. "You're so short and stunty, I bet you can't even do any of the cool stuff."

"I can do!" Luffy declared back at the challenge before asking, "What cool stuff?"

"Like this!" Jerking away, Ranma shot to a nearby wooden fence and vaulted over the top, clearing the one meter jump with the help of her hands. Landing on the other side, she turned and looked smugly with her hands on her hips. "Cool stuff like that!"

Luffy looked from her to the fence that was now between them. Setting himself up in a starting stance, he ran full tilt into a running jump. Unfortunately, he couldn't gain the height Ranma could and wound up with the round wooden cross beam to his gut for his effort. After the air left his lungs with the impact, defiance filled his eyes as he latched onto the horizontal pole and pulled himself over to land on his butt on the other side.

Ranma just blinked at the effort the boy had just put out along with the never give up attitude. Walking up to him, she nodded and held out a hand. "Not bad. I think I can get used to a little brother like you."

A wide grin broke out on Luffy's face as he grasped the girl's hand and let her help pull him standing.

"We'll just have to work you up to it, I guess." The redhead mused, tapping her lips with a finger in thought. Picturing a plan of action in her mind, Ranma nodded with a sly grin. "Think you can still keep up?"

"I know I can!" Luffy confidently declared, a challenging look in his dark brown eyes.

Ranma just smirked before she weaved her body through the gap in the fence poles and stepped back out on the gravel road. "We'll see about that…" Once the blue shirted boy was on the same side of the fence as her, she nodded before asking, "Ready?"

"Yeah!" The boy excitedly replied, hands clenched into tiny fists.

"Okay… Catch me if you can!" With that, she shot down the road, kicking up bits of gravel as she left. Luffy wasn't very far behind.

That evening, Makino just rubbed the bridge of her nose as she nursed a pint in her tavern. Across the table from her were a few neighbors laughing over the antics her children had gotten into that day; weaving between people while running full tilt and vaulting over boxes, crates, barrels… dogs.

Lowering her hand, she found that even with the laughter her friends were having at her expense, she couldn't help but smile warmly. The good natured ribbing was completely worth the memory of seeing the radiant smiles on her children's faces.

oO0Oo

It was a breezy April afternoon when a pair of hard rubber sandals slapped down on the docks as their owner leaped down from the side of the ship. The man not wanting to bother to wait for the gang plank to be lowered. As his fine black coat finished draping around him like a cloak, he took a deep breath of island air and the smell of the familiar village.

"You could have waited, Captain." A large man with a black ponytail called down around the cigarette in his mouth, a grin toying on his lips as he looked down on the straw hat his captain wore.

"It's almost like he has somewhere to be." The ship's sniper, wearing a loud bandana with YASSOP over his forehead, quipped back to the first mate with a slight elbow tap.

"More like someone." Yet a third voice pitched in, coming from a rather rotund man in a white and red vertically striped shirt.

Seeing their captain tilt his head up to look at his closest mates only to silently give a wide grin, the three broke out in loud barks of laughter. The red haired man just continued grinning as he walked down the pier away from his ship, trusting his officers to run things while he had one extremely important person to see.

His sandaled feet carried him straight down the main street from the docks. A few of the villagers watched him curiously and greeted him along the way. He was always happy to shoot a grin and a wave back, but never wavered in his pace. Walking past all the food stalls and shops to stand before the one place that mattered to him in this coastal town; Party's Bar.

Taking a moment there, standing in the sun, he looked up at the fading sign with his shining brown eyes. Feeling the needed moment had passed, he stepped up onto the patio and pushed open the main door to the tavern, causing the chime attached to it to tinkle softly. Scanning the empty room, he saw that the place hadn't really changed since the last time he was here. Just like he left it.

"Just a moment!"

Hearing those words, that voice, caused his breath to hitch in his chest. Locking his eyes on the door to the back rooms and the stairs that led up to the bedrooms, he waited silently, waiting for the first sight of his target. He didn't wait long before Makino stepped out holding a bowl of radishes, wearing an orange dress with black sleeves, hair still held back with a yellow kerchief.

"It's been a while, Makino." He told her, giving his best roguish grins for the woman who held his eye.

Hearing that voice, seeing that man, Makino stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes shot wide while her mouth tried to say something but nothing seemed to escape. The bowl fell forgotten from her hands, clanging to the floor to spill the radishes about. Slowly, hesitantly, she asked, "Shanks? Is that really you?"

"Yeah, it's me." The red haired captain smoothly replied, still holding that same suave grin and spreading his arms wide.

A moment passed before she took a step, then two. The next thing Shanks knew, she was flying at him full tilt across the room. He never saw the right hook coming till it connected with his jaw.

"Ow! What the hell was that for!?" Shanks demanded from his crumpled position on the floor, the woman he'd come to see looming over him.

Standing there with her hands on her hips, a baleful glare causing the captain to shrink away from the woman. "That was for taking eight years to come back!" Makino growled out. Before Shanks could even think of saying anything in his defense, the woman threw herself down at the prone captain, grabbing the very same face she'd just punched with both hands to lay eight years of missed time into a kiss that stole his breath away.

After what seemed like forever and a day, they broke apart to gasp for air. "And what was that for?" Shanks breathlessly asked after a few moments passed of them just holding each other.

"That was for coming back." Makino whispered up before kissing the man one more time, though with much less intensity but with no loss of feeling.

"I need to come back more often." The red haired captain mused dazedly once their lips separated again. Finally noticing their position on the floor, he chuckled, "Not that I mind being like this, but you want to take this upstairs?"

Makino flushed at the insinuating suggestion, wanting to so much but knowing some things always come first. Separating from her once upon a time lover, she stood up and smoothed out her dress. Smiling down at the now seated captain, she suggested, "Let's go to the bar. We've got a lot to talk about."

"Sure, I'm always up for a good drink with a beautiful lady like you." Shanks suavely stated as he pushed himself up to standing and started to follow the woman over to sit on a barstool.

"Oh? So you've got some other women?" Mikano asked coyly, eyeing the man as she reached for a bottle under the bar.

"What? No! I mean, sort of, but it was with everyone else! I mean…" Shanks stammered, the entirety of his suave attitude flying out the window.

Mikano laughed at the reaction her teasing had caused, though she was reassured by said reaction that he was most likely faithful to her. Setting two small glasses on the bar, she quickly poured them both a shot of local whiskey.

Shanks recognized the significance of the whiskey as she poured the shots. Rum for happy partying, beer for relaxing, wine for romance, whiskey for receiving or forgetting something big. Gulping, he looked directly into Makino's azure eyes with his own earthen colored eyes. "Good news or bad?" He asked, wanting to prep himself either way.

"It all depends on how you look at it." She replied cryptically with a lopsided grin. "The question is, does finding out you have a daughter count as good or bad news?"

The seconds passed in silence between the two, Shanks sitting there on the barstool stock still. Eventually, he blinked and shook himself like a dog shaking water off himself. Taking a deep breath, he looked the woman in the eyes once more and pointedly asked, "I have a daughter?"

"From that last wonderful night we had before you shipped out eight years ago." Makino answered with a dreamy smile on her face, remembering that night quite well as well as the repercussions from it.

"I have a daughter…" Shanks whispered, looking around the tavern as to find her appearing out of thin air. Jerking his head back to what he now knew to be the mother of his child, a wide grin broke out on his face. "I have a daughter." Shaking his head quickly, he corrected himself, "'We' have a daughter! That's 'great' news! One that deserves a toast!" Snagging up one of the shot glasses full of whiskey, he lifted it up and clinked it with his lover's glass, "To finding out you're a father and share a child with the most wonderful woman in the world!"

Makino just giggled at that, feeling like she was back to being a teen again as they tapped the counter and threw the liquid back.

Savoring the feeling of the burn down his throat, Shanks coughed into a hand. Taking a deep breath, he took his straw hat off and placed it on the bar beside him. "Man, wait till I tell the guys I'm a dad! I mean, Yassop's got a son himself, but…" Just at that thought, all the wind blew out of his emotional sails and he grabbed at his hair with both fists. "Shit, shit, shit! I've missed everything! I'm not a father, I'm just some random guy!"

Seeing the quick downward spiral her daughter's father was falling into, Makino quickly interjected, placing a hand on his arm. "Be one for her now! You can't make up for things you missed but you can be the father she hasn't had since you're here now."

Shanks just shook his head, hands still in his fiery red hair. "Yassop at least knows his son's name! Spent a couple years with him before he joined my crew. I mean, the only reason that we're in East Blue is to recruit men for our next trip into the Grand Line! I made this stop specifically to see you and now I find I've have a daughter for the past seven years. I'm a shitty excuse for a man!"

Thinking quickly of a way to break him out of his funk, Makino spoke up, "Her name's Ranma." Seeing him raise his gaze to look at her, she smiled back at him as she continued describing their daughter. "She's got the brightest red hair from you and she's got my eyes. Ranma's also a rambunctious tomboy, which I blame on you." She joked with a smile.

"I don't know, you got one hell of a right hook…" Shanks mused, rubbing his jaw where the fist had connected.

The blue eyed woman flushed in minor embarrassment, giving a quick glare to the man. Seeing him hold up his hands in surrender but laugh in amusement, Makino just rolled her eyes. "Speaking of right hooks, Ranma's been training herself to fight over the past year. She says she's going to be the best martial artist in the world."

"It's good to have dreams." Shanks mused with a wistful grin. "I hope she makes it."

Quirking her brow with a smile, Makino stated, "You know, her eighth birthday is coming up in early May."

"Well, I guess I have eight years of presents to make up for." The redheaded captain said with his own lopsided grin.

Sharing a quick laugh, Makino poured another round of shots for them both. Silently toasting each other, they downed the whiskey and just sat in comfortable companionship with each other. They were still sitting like this when they heard the sound of the back door open.

"Mama, I'm back!" A young girl's voice called out of the back room.

"I'm up front, honey."

Looking towards the same doorway that Makino had entered from, Shanks saw a young girl with crimson red hair tied back in a long braid walk in. The sweat and dirt made it quite obvious that she had been working out and rolling on the ground at some point; the black shirt and pants she wore showing dirt and grass stains from her recent activities.

Pinching the bridge of her nose at the sight of her daughter's condition, she pointed upward with her free hand. "Go get cleaned up, Ranma. A ship just came in and we're probably going to have a full house tonight."

"Oh boy, will you ever." Shanks confirmed, with a shake of his head. "We've been stuck on that ship for a couple weeks now. The men need to let off some steam or they'll go crazy."

Ranma blinked, as if finally realising the black coated man was sitting at the bar. "So you're one of those pirates Luffy was yelling about?"

Shanks snorted derisively, pulling himself up to his full seated height in pride, "I'm not just 'one of those pirates', little missy! I'm their heroic captain!"

Ranma looked at the red haired man for a few seconds, as if evaluating him with her clear azure eyes. Turning her head away, she told her mother, "I'm going to go wash up, now."

"Don't take too long and put on your green dress when you're done." Makino ordered to the girl who was already on her way into the back room.

"Yes, Mama." Ranma called back, the sounds of her footsteps going up the stairs easily heard by both of the adults.

Shanks just blinked in shock for a second, looking from the doorway back to the mother of the girl. "Did my daughter just snub me?"

Makino just shrugged with a small smile before she poured the man another shot of whiskey. Something told her that he'd be going through a bit more before the night was through.

oO0Oo

"First round's on me, boys!"

The walls of Party's Bar almost exploded with the resounding cheers following that proclamation There wasn't an empty table in the tavern that night, the Red Hair Pirates having rented the place out to celebrate yet another successful voyage… not that their captain needed much reason to celebrate, which they didn't mind one bit.

"A toast!" A slightly red faced Shanks followed up after the cheer, raising his mug of rum into the air. "To our beautiful barmaid and her cute little helper!"

Another round of rousing cheers burst forth, various mugs and glasses of different alcoholic flavors raised towards the raven haired woman behind the bar and the redheaded girl walking back from ferrying drinks out to the men.

"What about me?" Luffy questioned in a dejected mild whine.

"You aren't doing anything, Runt. Why should they cheer for you?" Ranma asked as she stepped on a small stool set before the bar, allowing her to reach drinks placed there easier.

Rolling her eyes and ignoring the chuckles of the captain and the three officers seated at the bar, Makino chastised her daughter. "Don't be mean, Ranma." Turning slightly to speak to the black haired boy, she explained for the umpteenth time, "And, no, you can't carry the drinks, Luffy. Maybe when you're older."

Laughing, Shanks scruffed the boy's mop of hair, causing the boy to squirm and cry out. "Doesn't matter how old you get, boy, you'll never be as cute as your sister!" He laughed out, having been told of the family situation earlier, just not the identity of the kid's grandfather.

"Ew…" Luffy spat out, making a face at the thought of him looking like his adopted sister, to the amusement of all the adults at the bar.

Seated to the left of the pirate captain, Benn Beckman, a tall man with onyx hair pulled back in a shoulder length ponytail, just grinned at his captain's antics while he sipped his glass of bourbon on the rocks. Having been Shank's first mate for a while, he was quite used to the red haired man's antics, but there was never any telling what his captain would get into next.

Further on, a man with curly bleach blonde hair leaned back to look around the first mate and captain, calling to the boy, "You remind me of my son, Ussop! He's about your age, you know?"

Before Yassop could get any further, a muffled yell from the final seat on the left end of the bar caught the marksman's attention. "He's talking about his son; take a shot!"

As if expecting and used to this scenario, every last man in the tavern, except for the shaggy haired sniper, took a long synchronized draw from their respective drinks. Frowning, Yassop griped in mild irritation, "Hey!"

"Now, now, Yassop." Benn's deep calm voice broke in through his cigarette holding grin. "You're the one who thought this up in the first place." A loud thump to his right drew the mild attention of the crew's first mate, Benn looking over and down to see Shanks fallen to the floor from his stool, still laughing his inebriated head off.

"Captains down!" Someone yelled, followed by every drink being drained again.

Leaning over the fallen man, Ranma shook her head with her arms crossed. "Are you sure you're the captain?"

Seeing how Shanks was still acting the laughing drunk, Benn answered with a nod. "Yes, that's our captain." Grinning around his cigarette, blowing out a stream of smoke, he explained somewhat, "He's more impressive when he's sober."

"Hey, hey!" Luffy cried out energetically, gathering the local attention. "Can he beat up sea monsters and dragons and stuff?"

Feeling someone patting him on the head from behind,Luffy jerked around to see the rotund Lucky Roo behind him, chewing on a chicken leg, "Boy, I've seen him scare off a Sea King before and cut through a ship's mast with his sword. He's a great man and we'll follow him to the end of the Grand Line and back!"

Eyes shining, the boy looked at the downed man who was grinning up at Luffy's redheaded elder sister. "That's so awesome!"

Grinning even wider at the admiration, Shanks righted himself to a seated position on the tavern's wooden floor. "So, what'd you think of me now, girly?"

Taking a moment to tap her lips with a finger, Ranma thought about the question. Nodding to herself, she used the same finger to point down towards the man. "I want to spar you! I wanna see how strong you really are!"

Blinking at his unknowing daughter, Shank's lips turned towards a warm smile at the proclamation, recollections of what he was like when he was younger surfacing. All he could think of was the fact that Makino was right, Ranma had his hair but her beautiful eyes… and what a fierce determination those blue eyes held.

"Alright, girly, I'll show you how strong I am." Shanks agreed with a nod as his smile turned back to a wide grin as he gathered his feet under him. "But tonight's a night for celebration!" He cried out, grabbing his daughter under the arms and tossing her up into the air as he quickly stood up. Makino and the other patrons of the bar broke into fresh laughter at the startled shriek Ranma let loose, falling back down into Shanks' waiting arms.

Gathering her wits about her, feeling the strong, sturdy arms under her thighs and back supporting her, Ranma looked up towards the beaming face of the pirate captain. Slowly but surely, a similar grin grew on her own lips before she enthusiastically called out, "Do it again!"

It was a different side of his captain that Benn witnessed as he saw the laughing, redheaded pirate throw the giggling, scarlet haired girl into the air. Taking another sip of his bourbon, he turned his eyes towards the attentively watching barmistress who had a pleased smile on her lips. "They look like they're having fun."

"Mhmm."

"So, red hair?"

Makino just gave the intuitive first mate a knowing smile and silently refilled his glass of bourbon. Quirking his lips in an amused smile himself, Benn Beckman silently saluted the woman and returned to watching his captain play with his daughter.

Unknowing of the silent exchange nearby, Shanks continued laughing as the girl let out another playful shriek, flying up into the air.

oO0Oo

A few days later, Shanks found himself leaning on the railing which lined the stern deck, watching Dawn Island's Fuusha Village fade into the distance. Hearing booted footsteps behind him on the wooden deck, the redheaded captain glanced over his shoulder before returning back to watching the wake roll in the ocean waves. Taking up his own spot on the aft railing nearby, Benn took the smoke stick out of his mouth to blow out a white cloud into the air.

Both men stood there silently, sorting their mutual thoughts before Benn's deep voice rolled out. "How'd the spar go with your daughter?"

Turning his head lazily, Shanks just raised an eyebrow to the taller grinning man. Shanks wasn't that surprised Benn had already figured it out, as the raven haired man was one of the smartest people the pirate knew. In fact, that was one of the major reasons Shanks had him as his first mate; that and Shanks knew Benn could keep him in line if he was going to far.

Grinning slightly, the brown eyed captain thought about the sparring match with the seven year old. "You know, she's going to be something big someday if she keeps it up." A moment passed before he added, "She want's to be the best martial artist in the world… and I think she has a good chance. She's good... She's already real good, even at this young age."

Benn just silently nodded, taking another drag of his cigarette; trusting his friend's opinion on combat evaluations. The man was one of the best swordsmen that Benn had ever seen and had shown his skills giving fighting tips to some of the newer members of the crew. Blowing out another gout of smoke, he asked, "You tell her?"

A rather poignant pause filled the air, only the sounds of the crew manning the ship and the rolling waves washing over them. Eventually, Shanks let out a large breath before taking off his straw hat and running a hand through his shaggy crimson hair. "Nah… Makino and I decided to wait till we get back from Loguetown and our sea trials. That way, I can be there for at least one of her birthdays…"

Benn nodded again, having already known the voyage plans but only now knowing exactly why they'd been set up like they were. It didn't really matter why, though, as they were things that needed to be done anyways. It just explained why the pirate captain had shipped out of the town so quickly. "So, what are you planning on getting her in Loguetown?"

A grin quirked Shanks' lips at Benn's uncanny intuition showing through again. Patting the saber attached to his right hip via a blood red sash, he answered, "Figured she might need something other than her fists when she sets out on her journey. So, I'm going to teach her the basics of swordsmanship, just in case."

"Probably a wise move." Benn agreed, thinking about some of the rumors he'd been hearing from the grand line concerning special abilities and devil fruit powers. Hearing of beings made of fire, ice and even poison made relying just on your fists an unfeasible venture. "Going to get her a saber like yours?"

"Sure." Shanks responded with a shrug. "She seemed interested in it and it's what I know."

"Think she'll follow your footsteps and become a pirate?" Benn inquired, raising a brow as he threw his spent cigarette overboard and lit up a fresh one.

The red haired father just shook his head at a loss. "No clue; question never came up. She's got the spirit for it though, I'll tell you that much."

"What about the boy?" Benn continued asking with a grin.

Shanks let out a quick bark of laughter, turning away from the now long gone island to face his first mate. "Come on, Benn, you already know the answer to that. Luffy's like a puppy, the way he kept following us around. Yassop kept spinning stories for him all yesterday; of our travels and his own son and such." Shaking his head and putting the straw hat back on, he grinned, "I'd honestly be surprised if that boy didn't set sail at the first chance he could."

"You aren't thinking of bringing him aboard are you, Captain?"

Another quick bark of laughter was followed by a solid shake of his head in response to Benn's concerned question. "The Grand Line's no place for a boy that young. Even I was a few years older when I signed on with…" Trailing off to shake his head again, Shanks set a serious look on his face as he looked into Benn's narrow eyes. "The boy needs time to grow up and enjoy being a kid. Maybe sometime in the future…"

oO0Oo

Makino smiled pleasantly, sniffing the long stemmed rose in her hand as a light flush graced her cheeks. Letting out a sigh, she leaned into the strong arm she was holding on to as she and the father of her child calmly strolled down the main street. As they leisurely made their way out of town, neighbors and friends silently greeted them with nods and waves then turned a blind eye, politely letting the woman enjoy the moment of love with her dashing captain. Strolling along side her, with her head on one shoulder and a long wrapped bundle on the other, Shanks held a beaming smile.

After a long comfortable silence and another long breath from the bright red rose, Makino let out a dreamy sigh. "A woman could get used to this." Enjoying the sound of her lover chuckling in mild mirth, she pulled her head back slightly to look into his face. "When did you learn to be so suave?"

"You wound me, my lady!" The pirate captain dramatically responded, looking like he'd have held onto his heart if he had a free hand. "To have you think I was never this suave is almost criminal!"

Giggling at the antics but also rolling her eyes, she guessed, "Benn helped you, didn't he." Seeing Shanks just drop his head in silent defeat, the woman let out a burst of laughter at his expense. Patting his arm, she reassured him by saying, "I'm just teasing, love. You're a hopeless romantic but you're dashing and wonderful at it."

Even with the puffing up in pride from the buffed ego, he found his mood tempered with the coming situation. "So… how do you think she'll take it?"

"I'm not entirely sure…" Makino replied after letting out a soft sigh, placing her head back onto her man's arm. "She's always been interested in who her father was, you know. I just couldn't tell her the full truth; either because she was too young to understand the risks or because… it never felt like the right time."

Letting out a long breath, Shanks looked down into the eyes Makino shared with their daughter. "I just hope she doesn't hate me for not being there." He confided, the worry easily heard in his voice. "I've only known her for a short time but… I never expected everything to change like this."

"We just have to hope she understands and try to work with her if she doesn't…" The raven haired mother stated as they turned the final curve in the road and arrived at the small makeshift training ground Ranma had made.

As they quietly approached, the parents detached from each other and watched the girl perform a lightning fast five attack combination, ending in a spinning jump sidekick against a wooden training pole.

"Nice moves there, kiddo!"

Hearing the familiar voice, Ranma spun around, her long braided hair swinging around in an arc. Eye's widening in recognition, a radiant grin bloomed on her face as she cried out, "Shanks! You're back!"

"Good to see you again, kiddo!" Shanks happily greeted in return, his own grin shining through as he stepped forward.

Behind the man, Makino crossed her arms with a wry smile as she mused, "So Shanks shows back up and you forget all about your mother, huh?"

"Hi, Mama." She bashfully greeted, to her mother's eye roll.

"Hello, dear."

"So, I heard you had a special day yesterday." The red haired pirate hedged out, fishing for a reaction.

"Uh huh! My birthday!" Ranma ecstatically replied with a vigorous nod of her head. Holding up her hands with some fingers extended, she showed and stated, "I'm eight, now!"

"Wow." The man intoned indulgently. "Eight years old... you just might be big enough for the two presents I just so happen to have…" At the word presents, he laughed as he saw the child's azure eyes flick from him to the bundle still on his shoulder. Deciding not to drag it out, he brought the bundle down and handed it to the girl, who rocked with balancing the weight change. Seeing her looking at it in wonder, he waved at her, "Go on, open it!"

Needing no further encouragement, the young girl set the bundle on the ground and untied the thin cord spiraling around the cloth wrapping. Unrolling the cloth, she found not one but two scabbards with sabers contained within. One was a rather plain scabbard, functional and of good quality, but paling in comparison to it's brother.

The second saber, which she picked up almost reverently, was a work of art. She marveled at the bright crimson lines swirling around like flames over the the dark onyx scabbard and at the tip, where a silver sheened steel cap protected the end; both eye catching with simple elegance. At the other end, the standard saber closed guard was missing in favor of a smaller open grip style; sacrificing the ability to punch with the hand guard for the increased options of dexterous maneuvers with the blade.

"Be careful; the blade's sharp." Shanks voice warned, to which Ranma nodded, as the eight year old grasped her tiny hands around the leather wrapped grip and pulled. The blade jerked free with the sound of metal sliding on the scabbard inner wood core and the waft of fresh oil entering her nostrils. Carefully pulling the blade entirely free, she lifted the weapon as it gleamed in the afternoon sun.

Blinking in surprise, the girl's azure eyes beheld the blade's greatest oddness; the metal shining a steely crimson instead of the expected grey steel sheen. All along the flame-like blade, lightning bolts ran down the length, etched into the metal with some technique which still held the flat of the blade smooth to the touch. At the base of the weapon, Ranma could see two words etched in the metal, naming the blade: Honoo Ikazuchi.

"Blazing Thunder..." She whispered out, admiring the weapon in her hands before looking to the man who had kneeled before her, an amused smile on his face. "Is this really mine?"

"It's really yours, along with the other one to practice with until you get good enough to use this one." Shanks nodded as he took off his straw hat and placed it to the side, explaining the untouched blade of similar but unremarkable make still in the cloth wrapping on the ground.

Scrunching up her brow in confusion, she wondered the reasons why this man who appeared just a few weeks ago would gift her such a wondrous weapon, even if for her birthday. Unable to work all the questions into words, she simply asked, "Why?"

Closing his eyes as he took a deep breath, Shanks placed his hands on her small shoulders as he reopened his brown orbs. "It's the only way I know to say; 'I'm sorry'." Seeing the confusion welling in her eyes, glancing towards her silently witnessing mother, Shanks continued. "I'm so, so sorry for missing the past eight years of your life and this is just a pale attempt to try and make up for it."

"I… I don't understand…"

"You're mother's told me of how you've always wondered who your father was." The scarlet haired man continued, seeing the slow widening of his daughter's azure eyes as she started to realize what he was saying. "Ranma… I am that man. I'm your father." Silence reigned after those words were stated, a sudden gust of wind carrying them far away into the distance.

The clatter of sword and scabbard falling from numb hands to the ground shattered that silence an instant later.

Shanks hid the growing fear he felt as he slowly watched the myriad of emotions instantly flash across his daughter's face; the sudden information withheld her entire life sparking a storm of turmoil in the girl. The emotions rolled through like waves on a beach; anger, joy, fear, excitement, sadness… then the dam finally broke.

Jerking forward, the girl grabbed onto her father's flowing black coat, her tears soaking his bone white shirt as she cried; the frustrations gained over the years of ever guessing finally finding release. Wrapping his arms around his daughter, Shanks felt his own tears running down his cheeks, a pain at seeing the girl break down stabbing him somewhere he'd only felt once before in his life.

As a third pair of arms encircled them both, a equally tear shedding mother completed the small family circle, each healing in their own way.

oO0Oo

Sitting down down next to a small campfire to see what she was doing, Ranma slowly slid the sharpening stone down her training saber. A couple months ago, when her father had taught her first swordsmanship lesson, he stressed the importance of maintaining your weapons and tools. To reinforce this, he had forced the girl to take her time in silence, to which she initially balked at.

The redheaded girl had quickly changed, though, eventually finding that she liked taking her time with sharpening her saber after a day of training. It was almost like a calm form of meditation once you started, the peace and quiet allowing her to sort her thoughts. This night, her thoughts ran back over the major events in her life over the past month…

The first thing that came to mind was the long family talk her father, mother and her had one night. Due to the Marines sometimes going after the families of pirates to get at pirates themselves, it was quickly decided to try and limit exposing that Ranma was Shanks' daughter as much as possible. Shanks explained that was why some pirates didn't have a last name, though his was due to being an orphan.

Some quick rules were hammered out for Ranma by her two parents, like never calling the redhaired pirate 'Father' in public and trying to keep that fact as secret as possible. Both adults didn't think that would be too hard, considering she'd yet to call Shanks 'father' or 'dad', preferring to call him by his name. It might not matter too much in Fuusha village, but it was better to start the practice early.

Ranma wasn't sure how she felt about it, just finding out who her father was and now forced to pretend he wasn't so in public, but she submitted to the plan if only for the safety of her mother.

Letting out a sigh at the end of one swipe of the stone, moving on to her next thought about Luffy and the last foolish thing he'd done. Somehow, Shanks had acquired a devil fruit on his last expedition, an odd looking fruit which gave unbelievable powers to those who ate it. The problem was, the eater forever more becomes paralyzed by sea water… commonly called 'anchors' due to the relative high risk of drowning.

Of course, when no one was looking, Luffy had eaten said devil fruit out of ignorance.

Shaking her head as she continued her smooth even strokes of stone on metal, Ranma pondered what it would be like to have the rubber powers her brother now had… she just didn't know if the major weakness that came with was worth it. Ranma loved to swim, was really good at it actually, and she'd hate to lose that. Another thought was how Luffy had regressed in his training due to the nature of the fruit; the strange stretching ability he now having thrown off all of his coordination. Considering that, Ranma was pretty happy that it wasn't her that ate the 'Gumu Gumu no Mi'.

Flipping over the sword to start working on the other side, the martial artist sighed sadly. She actually missed training with her little brother but ever since he ate that devil fruit, the huge gap in skill and his lack of control made their spars a bit disappointing. Even before that, she'd had to turn him away when she was practicing with her sword, not having the skill yet required to train another person safely in it's use or just wanting to spend some alone time with her father.

That's partly the reason why she was out here on an overnight training trip, setting up camp in a sheepherder's field around twelve kilometers outside of town. Something in her just yearned for it and it felt so familiar camping out under the stars after a long hike and evening working to improve her skills. Ranma was just thankful that her mother relented once her father had gotten involved. That was even more odd, the familiar feeling of her father pushing for her camping trip, especially since this was the first time it'd happened…

Flicking her eyes to the side, Ranma let out another breath of frustration. She couldn't help but feel like something was missing and kept seeing a ghost out of the corner of her vision; a large man in white standing with his arms crossed, his face filled with mild pride. She knew him but… Ranma couldn't place him more than that it felt like he should be there.

The redhead wiped a tear away with her sleeve and placed the new sharp and oiled saber back in it's scabbard.

After placing another couple of small logs onto the dying fire, Ranma set about making her bed for the night. Spreading out the light sleeping bag just far away enough from the campfire that it wouldn't catch fire, she took off her sandals and slid into the sack for the night. Folding her hands behind her head, the redhead looked up at the clear, twinkling stars overhead; picking out specific ones she remembered from a beginner's astronomy book for navigation she was reading in her spare time.

'Can't wait to tell Luffy all about this…' She thought, letting out a large yawn before turning over and falling asleep.

oO0Oo

"Shanks!"

"Hey, kiddo." The redheaded captain lethargically responded, wincing slightly at the sound of the door to his room slamming open, his eyes slightly unfocused due to the painkillers the ships doctor had given him. "How're you doing, kiddo?"

"Shanks… your arm…" Ranma lightly said, slowly advancing into the captain's quarters on Shank's ship and towards the reclining, healing pirate.

Glancing down to the wrapped up left shoulder where his arm had been tore off the day before, the girl's father grinned weakly. "Yeah… I'll live, though."

"But… your sword arm…" The girl whispered in growing distress, glistening eyes locked on the clean freshly changed bandages.

Seeing the girl having a hard time of seeing him like this, he slowly picked himself up to a seated position and carefully wrapped his remaining arm around her. "I'll be okay, don't you worry. I don't regret a thing."

Ranma fought back the tears with a nod, something in her telling her to stand strong for her father. Maneuvering into the bed so he could lay back down while still keeping his arm around her, she quietly asked, "What happened? Luffy said he did this..."

All she knew is that as soon as Luffy laid eyes on her when she walked back into the tavern, he broke down into an emotional wreck. After tackling her and crying into her shirt, she was barely able to get out that Shanks had lost an arm and Luffy thought it was all his fault. The next thing she knew, she was standing outside the captain's quarters on the ship.

Shanks let out a pained sigh as he closed his eyes. "This wasn't your brother's fault." He stated, stressing the family ties she had with the adopted boy. "Some things happened… wound up saving Luffy from a sea king."

"Idiot… your arm…" Ranma whispered out, sniffling back a tear.

"It's just an arm… He's more important." He stated with conviction, rubbing the girl's shoulder comfortingly with his remaining hand.

"Are you really going to be okay?" She asked worryingly, doubting his initial statement of condition.

Nodding with a yawn, the man confirmed with a tired voice, "Yeah, I'll be okay. The doc said I'd be right as rain in a week, tops. I just need… to rest…"

Feeling her father's breathing slow down to the rhythm of sleep, the crimson haired girl snuggled up closer to her father's warmth and pulled the sheets up to cover them both. Ranma just laid there, listening to the comforting, steady heartbeat pulsing in his chest. Worried for her father's condition but relieved that he saved Luffy, she eventually slowly drifted off to sleep…

oO0Oo

True to his word, Shanks was back and up on his feet in around five days, though only because the crew's doctor ordered him to stay in bed two more days. Doc still wanted him to take it easy, so here he was three days later standing on the docks watching his crew inventorying and loading up supplies into the holds.

Seeing Lucky Roo pick up a barrel of limes nearby, the captain asked, "What's our timetable look like?"

Rubbing his chubby chin with a hand while balancing the barrel on his shoulder, Roo looked over what was left to load. "Maybe fifteen minutes tops, Captain."

"You're really leaving?"

Hearing this question, Shanks turned about to see Luffy and Ranma standing there on the edge of the docks. Behind the children were Makino and Mayor Whoop Slap along with a smattering of curious villagers.

"Yeah, we need to set sail, Luffy." Shanks confirmed with a nod and a grin. Patting his empty left shoulder, he added, "Doc says I'm healed up and the men are ready to hit the Grand Line."

"Are you really going to be okay?" His blue eyed daughter asked in doubting concern, wanting to go hug the man but holding back, but steadfastly sticking to the family plan.

Shanks smiled as he noticed Blazing Thunder strapped to her back, the standard sized saber too long to put on her hip like he would wear it. "I'm going to be fine, kiddo, don't you worry." Looking over the children, he gave Makino a silent nod goodbye, having already spent some alone time and assured her that he'd be sending some letters this time… under a fake name for his family's safety.

Glancing back down towards the black haired boy before him, Shanks inquired with a raised brow, "Not going to try and join one last time?"

Shaking his head, Luffy stood as tall as his diminutive stature could. "No! I'm gonna make my own crew and it's going to be even stronger than yours!"

Grinning at the proclamation, along with some of his surrounding crew, Shanks knelt down and transferred the straw hat from his crown to the boy's head; pressing down slightly to make it fall over the child's eyes. "Well, a pirate captain's got to have a good hat when he starts out. Just keep it safe till we meet on the Grand Line, okay?"

Patting the hat as the boy nodded with silent tears, Shanks looked to his daughter again. "What about you? Going to make your own crew someday?"

Having heard the full story that led to her father losing his arm, being a bad bandit gang from the mountains flaunting their bounty, Ranma had talked to her mother and the mayor. Seeing all the bounty posters and mean looking pictures Mayor Whoop Slap had in his office of bad people who hurt other people, she made a decision for her path for the future. Ranma shook her head, squaring her jaw and shoulders defiantly. "I'm gonna be the best martial artist in the world!"

Shanks just nodded at that, knowing the dream the girl had was strong and true. He didn't know exactly why she had this dream, but if anyone knew how the call could drive a person, he did. "You got it in you, kiddo. To be the best, though, you're going to have to head to the Grand Line someday. When you do, I want to see how strong you've gotten." Seeing the girl nod her head resolutely at that, the pirate captain's grin beamed proudly.

"We're ready to set sail at your command, Captain." Benn's voice rolled out from the deck of the loaded frigate.

"Thanks, Benn." Shanks called over his shoulder before giving a wave to the two children. "Well, we're off to the Grand Line… See you there one day."

"Bye, Dad…"

When the captain turned away and walked up the gangplank to his ship, he held one of the widest grins to grace his face. "All hands, set sail for the Grand Line!"

As the crew burst into action, commands and statuses being called out on the deck below, Shanks stood there on the half deck by the tall black haired first mate; the captain's chest puffed out with overwhelming pride. That two word whisper had made it to his ears, as if carried by the spirit of the winds itself just for him.

It was the first time she'd ever called him 'Dad'.

oO0Oo

Later that afternoon, Makino and her daughter were seated at a table in the tavern in contemplation. Luffy was still out running around town showing off his new hat and declaring how mighty a pirate he'd eventually become.

Taking a sip from the glass of water before her, the raven haired mother sighed. "It's going to be a long while before we ever see him again."

Swallowing the piece of carrot she was snacking on, Ranma nodded. "But he said he'd write, so… It's not all bad, right?"

"It's more than I got since the night you were made." Makino mused, running a finger around the lip of her glass as she considered the past eight years of silence from the man before he just showed up on her doorstep out of the blue.

"Eww… Mama." The scarlet haired girl recoiled in mild disgust, having already heard her parents having some 'alone time' and choosing to leave the tavern to escape it just a couple days prior.

"Don't worry, you'll understand one day." Makino told her daughter with a smirk. 'Just not anytime soon, I hope.' She thought to herself instantly after.

After a small lull in the conversation, Makino asked with concern, "Honey, are you sure you want to be the best martial artist in the world? It's going to be a really hard thing to do." Seeing her daughter nod, mouth still full of another vegetable snack, Makino further asked, "Why is that?"

Washing the snack down with some water, Ranma stumbled out her reasoning, having trouble putting it into words. "It's… what I've always wanted to be." Looking down at her hands, she flexed them into fists. "I've always had dreams of being able to jump buildings, fighting dragons, swim oceans… and they're so real, like I've done it before and I can do it again!"

"Honey…" The raven haired woman tenderly put her hand over one of her daughter's fists. "I know you can be great at anything you put your mind to, but those are just dreams. I don't want to see you hurt…"

"But they're so real…" The crimson haired girl whispered, looking down to the table.

Makino just sighed, saddened to have to temper her daughter's hopes with reality but knowing it was for the better. Really, she just wanted her daughter to be safe and happy…

oO0Oo

The ocean air was starting to turn chilly as October rolled in a few weeks later, causing the townsfolk of Fuusha village to start donning their long sleeved shirts or light jackets. Such was the case with Makino's children as they walked back into the village proper. Each child had content smiles on their faces as they slowly finished off some cookies as they walked.

"Granny Weatherwax cookies are the best!" Luffy exclaimed happily, stuffing the last baked treat into his mouth with a pleased sound.

Ranma just nodded in agreement as she licked the tips of her fingers cleaned before wiping them on her dirty black pants. "Yeah! I love her apple-chip cookies!"

To the children, the sweets they received for the firewood collecting trip they performed for the elderly widow was just a great bonus. They had really done it as a form of strength training while helping the woman, loading themselves up with as many logs as they could carry while running back and forth from the woods.. As it was now, the woman wouldn't need anymore for another week, much to her surprise.

Waving hello to a neighbor as they reached Party's Bar, Ranma pushed open the swinging door and called out automatically, "Mama, we're home!" She was quite surprised to see her mother seated at a table with Mayor Woop Slap and another old but huge man. "Hello, Mayor!"

Hearing the girl's entrance, along with Luffy's parroted greeting, the floppy hat wearing village elder waved and smiled back.

Ranma blinked her azure eyes; something was off with both the Mayor's and her mother's smiles. She couldn't put her finger on it but they seemed… strained somehow.

"We finished gathering wood for Granny Weatherwax and she gave us cookies!" Luffy proudly and loudly exclaimed, pushing up to stand slightly before his adopted sister, completely unaware of the emotional undercurrent that she had picked up.

Hearing the boy's voice, the strange man stood out of the chair and turned around, causing the children to startle, though for entirely different reasons.

"You!" "Gramps!"

Ranma recognized the large white suited man as the same one who had given her her first fighting training manual. Recognizing what Luffy had just exclaimed, she jerked her head towards the shorter boy and echoed, "Grandpa?! He's your grandpa?!"

"What's this I've heard about you playing around with pirates, boy?" Monkey D. Garp asked of his grandson in a low growl, his ever present grin drooping slightly as he stomped up to lower over the boy. "Marines don't make friends with pirates!"

"I'm not a Marine!" Luffy loudly declared in response, trying to hold a strong front but his grandfather could see slight quivering in the boy's stance. "I'm gonna be a pirate! The best pirate ever!"

"Get that fool notion out of your head right now, boy!" Garp roared, rapping his fist against the boy's skull just hard enough for the boy to cry out in pain and cover the now sore spot but not seriously hurting him.

"Hey! Don't hit my brother!" Ranma yelled out, jumping forward only to halt when she heard her mother yell out an instant later.

"Ranma! Stop!"

Jerking to a standstill, the crimson haired girl flicked her eyes from Garp to Makino and back while complaining, "But he hit him!"

"It's cause the boy needs to get that fool notion out of his head right now! No grandson of mine is going to be a pirate!" Garp confidently told the girl, keeping his onyx irises locked on the boy still cringing before him.

"Garp, it's just a child's fantasy." Woop Slap interjected, trying to defuse the situation on both sides with a calming voice as he pulled on his short grey beard. "He'll grow out of it, like all children do in time."

Crossing his arms over his large chest, the grey haired Vice Admiral nodded, more to himself than anything. "Then, he'll just have to grow up faster and I can see that requires me taking charge." Pointing down to the recovering black haired boy, he declared, "Boy, you're coming with me! When you're done with my training, you'll be Marine ready!"

"Vice Admiral, please reconsider! He's happy here and growing strong." Makino tried to reason with the man was old enough to be her own father.

Garp just shook his head with a snort of air through his nose. "I've made up my mind. He's had too much tainting from pirates here. Even a devil fruit… No, I'm taking with me and dropping him off with someone who owes me. If he's far away from pirates, it'll keep these fool notions out of his head."

Ranma's eyes widened along with Luffy's, once she realized what was happening. "No! You can't take him! I won't let you!" She yelled out, clenching her tiny hands into fists and glaring up at the high ranking Marine about to take her brother away.

"Ranma, wha..." Makino started to reprimand her daughter but was interrupted by Garp raising a hand to stall the mother with a loud barking laugh.

"Bwahahaha! You're going to stop me? And how are you going to do that, girl?" The grey bearded Marine inquired with interest, his mouth in a large toothy grin.

"I… I'll…" The crimson haired girl stammered, trying to think up a way to stop the bad man from taking away Luffy. Suddenly an idea popped into her head and she snapped her eyes back up with a hard glare. Jabbing a finger up at the towering man, she declared, "I challenge you to a duel!"

Garp just looked down silently for a second before bursting out in another bout of laughter. "Bwahahahah! A duel! I like this girl; she's got moxie!"

"Please, Admiral! Don't hurt her! She doesn't know what she's doing!" Makino cried out, jumping up from her chair after the initial shock wore off. To her left, Woop Slap had also stood up, leaning on his cane with a frown on his face.

Garp just waved off the request as unneeded, not even turning his wide grin away from the girl. "Don't worry about it, I don't even need to touch her for this." Spending a moment to stare down the girl, he offered up, "How about this, girl? I'll give you one free hit, but just one, to knock me down. If you can drop me to the floor, I'll let him stay. If you can't, he leaves with me."

"Grandpa's really strong…" Luffy warned in a worried voice, still rubbing at the sore spot.

If anything, the grey haired Marine's grin grew even bigger at his grandson's appraisal. "Well, girl? Here's your chance! I'll even close my eyes!" True to his word, his eyes closed as he opened his arms out for an invitation to his large chest.

This left him wide open for a swift low blow.

"Ranma!" Makino screamed out in shock, seeing what her daughter just did to the 'Hero of the Marines'.

Luffy and Woop Slap reflexively clenched their knees, grimacing in sympathy pain for their fellow man.

Sucking in a strained breath, Garp stumbled slightly, dealing with the pain but definitely not ignoring it.

Putting her foot down onto the wooden tavern floor, Ranma scowled as Luffy's grandfather shuddered but refused to fall to the floor. She knew she had no chance to win if she played 'fair' and went straight for the man's weakest spot; a swift kick right between the legs.

"Yo…" Garp tried to say before his voice hitched, forcing him to take another grimaced breath. "You're lucky I'm a man of my word, girl."

"You never said 'how' I had to hit you or where." Ranma bluntly countered, still clenching her fists in the slight vain hope he'd just fall over.

The Marine couldn't help but chuckle even as he continued to grimace. The child was right and he couldn't rightly do a thing about it.

"I can't believe my daughter just did that. I must be dreaming… a really bad dream." Makino dazedly said, putting her face into her hands with a small shake. "My daughter really didn't just kick a Vice Admiral in the privates… She just didn't…"

Taking one last deep breath, Garp straightened to his full height once more and crossed his arms across his chest once more. "You lost." He simply stated, the grin beginning to return as the pain was pushed away.

Glaring up at the man for a second, Ranma turned fully to the black haired boy nearby. "I'm sorry, Luffy…"

"You almost did it." Luffy replied with a smile, happy to see his sister almost succeed considering just how strong his grandfather was.

"Alright, boy. Let's get going. I'll get your stuff later." Garp commanded, walking around the girl who just assaulted him to get to the door.

"Yes, Grandpa." Luffy answered with a resigned voice, giving the girl one last quick hug before following behind his grandparent.

Just as Garp reached the exit, Ranma caused him to pause by calling out, "I'm gonna get strong enough to beat you someday!"

Looking over his shoulder with his original wide toothy grin, the Vice Admiral answered back with amusement. "You've got a long way to go, girl. Just remember, you've already got your free shot!" Bursting out with his loud laugh, the man pushed open the door and took Luffy along with him.

In the quickly quieting room, the village elder let out a breath while rubbing his scalp. "I'm sorry it came to this…"

Just as he said that, Ranma burst into a full run into the back room; the sounds of her footsteps clamoring up the stairs and a slamming door soon following.

Seeing Makino's worried look upward to where her daughter's room would be, Woop Slap patted her arm comfortingly. "Don't worry… It might take some time, but she'll learn to deal with this and grow stronger because of it."

Seeing the raven haired woman's absent nod, the Mayor let out another sigh while giving the woman's arm one last pat. Having imparted some of his wisdom, the man made his own way out back into the village, leaving the woman to her thoughts and sudden change in her now smaller family.

oO0Oo

End of Chapter 1

A/N -

- Ranma is 8 and Luffy is 6 at the end of this chapter

- If you wish to learn more about One Piece characters, locations or timeline go here: onepiece:wikia:com

- If you want to read sections as I'm writing them and before I post full chapters, head on over to fukufics:com

(due to the way FanFiction destroys web links in stories, just replace the : with .)


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